“In my personal opinion, yes [Egypt does need capacity]. I really think there is a growth story. There is congestion and a need for higher-quality infrastructure,” said Khaled Nageib, CEO and president of Egyptian Ports Development Group, a private-sector company engaged in the development of domestic and international ports.

Water projects to supply drinking water, hydroelectric power, and sewage treatment are major sources of global shipments for engineering, procurement, and construction companies, and for forwarders and breakbulk carriers that deliver materials, including pipes, turbines, and modules for water treatment plants.

The Suez Canal Authority has cut tolls to transit the canal by 30 percent after traffic shrank in 2015 and container lines began routing ships around the Cape of Good Hope because historically low fuel prices have made that route cheaper than paying the canal’s tolls.

MENA Infrastructure, a fund manager and equity investor in Middle East infrastructure, said it divested its 30.3 percent stake in Egypt’s Alexandria International Container Terminals to Hong Kong’s Hutchison Port Holdings for an undisclosed sum.